Ranges of males of the Great Hornbill Buceros bicornis, Brown Hornbill Ptilolaemus tickelli and Wreathed Hornbill Rhyticeros undulatus in Khao Yai National Park, Thailand

Abstract

Ranges of individual males of three hornbill species were determined by radio telemetry during the breeding and non‐breeding seasons in Khao Yai National Park, Thailand. Two Great Hornbills Buceros bicornis and two Brown Hornbills Ptilolaemus tickelli were studied in both 1988 and 1989, and two Wreathed Hornbills Rhyticeros undulatus were studied in 1989, 1990 and 1991.In the breeding season, the home range of the Great Hornbill was 3.7 km2, similar to that of the Brown Hornbill (4.3 km2), while the Wreathed Hornbill occupied the largest home range (10.0 km2). In the non‐breeding season, the range size of the Wreathed Hornbill (28.0 km2) was greater than that of the Great Hornbill (14.7 km2). Differences in range sizes of different species may be related to differences in diet and breeding strategy. Ranges overlapped within and between the species, and this has implications for the estimation of the minimum area required for the conservation of hornbills within the Khao Yai National Park.